Purple Reign

Purple is the color of royalty, and undoubtedly, the richest, heartiest, and most stunning vegetables that reign my garden are my purple bell peppers and Japanese eggplants. Every time I watch the bell pepper plant begin to flower and bud, I marvel at the wondrous, dark, regal skin slowly take its full "bell" shape (You won't see this color so readily in the standard markets, not the ones I go to)....

Oh, and the full-bodied promise of the eggplant....mmm...You know that with smaller eggplants you don't even need to drain their bitter juice like you do with standard ones. You can cut and start cooking. That's one less step!  On a couple occasions, I've created a more "compact" version of an eggplant parmeggiano using this smaller variety, by layering slices in a small Pyrex dish, which works just as fine.

Most of the time, however, I just like to grab whatever's growing and make a mixed roasted vegetables dish, Mediterranean style.

SIMPLE ROASTED VEGGIES:
*2  Bell Peppers(any color) cut into strips of 1/4 inches thick
*2-3 Small Eggplants (japanese, Italian), cut into approx. 1 inch thick pieces.

*1 large Red Onion, cut in 1/2 inch thick rings
*1/4 cup mix chopped fresh herbs(oregano, thyme, rosemary)
*1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
*Salt and pepper to taste
*Preheat 425-degree oven, mix all above together. Lay out veggies in a single layer on a flat roasting pan, or aluminum pan. Roast until tender. You will definitely know when they're done when the fantastic fragrance fills the kitchen. What makes this even more flavorful? Adding couple cups of chopped white mushrooms (try to buy organic).  Try this on top of pasta, add some parmesan cheese, and you got yourself a fresh, mouth-watering dinner.  Or just simply serve your roasted Mediterranean vegetables as a side to a fish or chicken dish. Divine!


Japanese eggplant about a third way to maturity